DePauw dominates in Monon matchup
When DePauw moved ahead 21-0 in the second quarter, no one would have blamed the Tigers of being leery after the same lead slipped away against Wabash in 2021.
Two pick-sixes in the third quarter eased those doubts as the hosts claimed the 128th Monon Bell Game over the Little Giants 49-14.
After a pair of early third down conversions, DePauw’s offense used a 19-yard Gabe Quigley run and a defensive pass interference call to set up a Gus Baumgartner two-yard run on third-and-goal to push the hosts in front 7-0.
Wabash’s initial response was a 14-play drive that ended when quarterback Liam Thompson fumbled looking for first down yardage and Luke Marsh recovering the loose ball.
Baumgartner had a 35-yard run chalked off for holding with the drive ending with a punt.
The Little Giants returned the punt but only as far as their own 48-yard line and five plays later, Wally Renie hit Trey Shaw for a 23-yard score, doubling the Tiger lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.
DePauw followed up with a tree-and-out on defense, embarking on a 14-play, 72-yard drive that ended with Renie hitting Quigley for a seven-yard score to make it 21-0 three minutes before halftime.
The hosts looked to have a chance to add more points but a late interception in the end zone with 15 seconds left by Giovanni Zappala saw the half end with DePauw holding a three-score lead.
Wabash received the second-half kickoff but on third down, Thompson had a passed deflected by Matthew Coons that was intercepted by Jake Comer, who returned the ball 56 yards for a score and a 28-0 lead.
Thompson finally developed a rhythm, having gone 5-of-14 in the first half, going 5-of-6 for 37 yards, hitting Heisman Skeens for a two-yard score to get on the board.
After a DePauw punt, Wabash marched down the field until Thompson was put under pressure, throwing into the hands of Tiger linebacker Brevon Gude, who returned the interception 75 yards for a second pick-six and a 35-7 lead.
The Little Giants avoided disaster on their next offensive snap when Thompson was sacked and fumbled, recovering the ball but losing 29 yards as a result, leading to a punt.
DePauw held the ball into the fourth quarter, converting a fourth-and-two on the first play of the period and adding a sixth score when Renie hit Jaylon Smith for a 24-yard score and a 42-7 lead.
Wabash saw a 12-play drive end when Thompson was sacked by Gude on fourth-and-10, setting up Renie for a 40-yard touchdown pass to Shaw. Joseph Sullivan’s extra point set a new all-time scoring record for DePauw in the series with the 49-7 lead.
The Little Giants would finally find the end zone when Thompson hit Penn Stoller for a score late in the final period but it was only a temporary blip as the Tigers roared into the NCAA Division III postseason with the NCAC title and Monon Bell at their side.
DePauw will take to the road for its tournament opener, traveling to Pittsburgh to face No. 19 Carnegie Mellon Saturday at 12 p.m.
Wabash | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
DePauw | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
Scoring
1st Quarter
D — Baumgartner 2-yard run (Sullivan kick) 10:14 7-0
2nd Quarter
D — Shaw 23-yard pass from Renie (Sullivan kick) 10:17 14-0
D — Quigley 7-yard pass from Renie (Sullivan kick) 2:58 21-0
3rd Quarter
D — Comer 56-yard interception return (Sullivan kick) 13:19 28-0
W — Skeens 2-yard pass from Thompson (Anderson kick) 9:38 28-7
D — Gude 76-yard interception return (Sullivan kick) 3:03 35-7
4th Quarter
D — Smith 24-yard pass from Renie (Sullivan kick) 12:35 42-7
D — Shaw 40-yard pass from Renie (Sullivan kick) 7:52 49-7
W — Stoller 4-yard pass from Thompson (Anderson kick) 2:30 49-14
Statistics
… | Wabash | DePauw |
Total Yards | 337 | 372 |
Rushing | 102 | 223 |
Passing | 235 | 149 |
1st Downs | 23 | 22 |
3rd Downs | 7-17 | 7-14 |
4th Downs | 2-3 | 2-2 |
Punts | 5-159 | 3-133 |
Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
Penalties | 3-32 | 4-32 |
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Wabash — 41-102 — Snyder 20-80; Thompson 17-29; Campbell 3-12; Team 1-(-20)
DePauw — 45-223, TD — Baumgartner 24-155, TD; Moore 8-37; Quigley 3-27; Renie 6-7; Team 4-(-3)
Passing
Wabash — Thompson 24-41-235, 2 TD, 2 INT
DePauw — Renie 13-19-149, 4 TD, INT
Receiving
Wabash — Sullivan 8-79; Allen Jr. 6-64; Penn 5-29, TD; Skeens 3-42, TD; Thompson 2-21
DePauw — Shaw 6-77, 2TD; Smith 3-35, TD; Quigley 2-13, TD; Ballentine 1-15; Baumgartner 1-9